15 about architectural and social characteristics of the families’ complexes

Those free spaces reflect the urban development of Perast to the same extent as built spaces. They were created by applying the building principles on the basis of which the buildings and their ensembles were designed, with which the "unbuilt" spaces are permeated and with them form an inseparable fabric of the urban landscape of Perast. The emphasis on the unity of built and free spaces in Perast is also contributed by the undisturbed natural framework in which the urban structure of the city is created, created in contact with the wild nature of the rocky hill of St. Elijah, on one side and the surface of the sea on the other. The free spaces of the terraced gardens in the southeastern part of the city are rare examples of the original way of life and culture of living of the inhabitants of Perast. Terraced gardens with stone sub-walls built in the dryland whose lines follow the isohypses of the terrain, characteristic of the wide area of Mediterranean culture, and in Perast there have remained only those examples as part of the two spatial-functional units in the southeastern part of the city, judging by the wider preserved area of Perast. However, the most important part of this estate, as a significant unit in whose residential and economic buildings the older buildings that belonged to the Mazarovic family were incorporated, was destroyed in the works on breaking through the modern road above the city and the new parking private lot. Examples that during modern interventions on old buildings and their surroundings denied the existing characteristics and attitude towards the landscape by introducing elements, materials and forms foreign to the architectural fabric of Perast have disrupted the unity of nature and constructed works to the extent that denies the basic values of its urban landscape. In addition, the range of horticultural solutions inherent in the guardianship of Perast is so rich that it represents a special field of cultural tradition. In an effort to best understand its values, maximum effort is needed to preserve the original structures that make up free spaces and their relationships. Although fragile, these structures, which were created by the efforts of many generations, should be viewed as a cultural heritage of exceptional value and, in accordance with this principle, their protection should be ensured in order to preserve the original authenticity of the space as a whole.

3.5. Bronza family and its complex

Born to the brotherhood of Silope (Sillopi), Bronza family is the one of the twelve Perast fraternities. According to Andrija Balovic (“Annali di Pirusto”), the family moved to Perast from Shkodra in 1444. In the Perast documents, its members are listed from the XVI century. They traded in the Mediterranean and along the European shores of the Atlantic and fought in the Venetian navy. The family became extinct in the 19th century. The family archive is stored in the Nadzupski archive of the church of St. Nicolas in Perast, where Bronza also had a palace (called the "Bronza House"; today ruined). The palace is located in the eastern part of Perast, in the area called Luka (Port), along the coast. It was built in the middle of the 18th century. In the 19th century, during the Austro-Hungarian rule, used as a Customs House. Bronza family members were excellent sailors and merchants. Their first ship, Santa Maria di Scarpello, is mentioned in archival documents as early as 1591. Captains Ivan and Josip Bronza received the Venetian decoration of the "cavalier" for the successful fight against pirates. Bronza Palace is a typical baroque palace, with a ground floor, a first floor and a third floor in the shape of a belvedere. The belvedere has characteristic baroque volutes. On the main facade, the middle vertical is emphasized, from the portal in “bugnato" on the ground floor, over the balcony on the first floor and the marble relief of the "Annunciation", all the way to the belvedere over which is a stone ball. The windows have a typical baroque profile. On the ground floor are two baroque elliptical windows. There are also loopholes in the palace. On the portal on the ground floor is the coat of arms of the Shilopi casade. The coat of arms depicts a bird on a tree, which is located at the top of the hill. Inside the palace, all the door sills are made of Korcula stone (today Croatia), while inside the ceiling has profiled wooden beams girders.

4. Creation of the narrative

Timotej Cizila (Kotor, second half of the 16th century - Kotor, first half of the 17th century), is a Montenegrin writer. His book “Bove d 'oro” was written around 1624 and is preserved in a transcript by other writer from 1887. This book was significantly important in further understanding the way people all the way from Dubrovnik to the city of Ulcinj on the southern part of Montenegro, and of course in those areas particularly in Boka Bay and the city of Perast led their everyday life and how they social character also shaped the city itself in the form that we today see as an urban artefact.

Certainly one of the most notable thoughts of the book is the sentence which rejects the common hypothesis that being under the foreign reign of any ruler (in this case Venetian Republic), there is no place for development of your own history and that the only ideal that is worth scarifying for is the model of your own country and freedom, when instead the people of Perast under mask of this foreign rule with their own sacrifice and effort managed not to be the object of manipulation and working exclusively for the interest of ruler countries but actually managed to channel this effort in such a way to be able to reach the point in history where they can put in first plan the life of their own families and their own city and leave it to the future generations.

Taking into consideration the initial idea of creating a certain type of narrative which could synthetize all of the 5 crucial elements pointed out previously, but at the same time emphasizing their own unique way of being placed in the city of Perast, further analysis of the particular aspects which majorly constitute the image of those urban artefacts today and which deserve the utmost respect which is prescribed also by the UNESCO guidelines is of indispensable importance.

4.1. Zmajevic complex

4.1.1. Architectural characteristics

In that context it can be emphasized that the common point of the unique morphology that in the combination of the encounter of the land and the sea greatly influenced the original character of the urban fabric but also proved to be very fruitful for its development. Namely the rules that the people of Perast defined by written and vernacular rules prescribed utmost respect to the heights of families’ neighboring buildings making it possible for them to enjoy equal benefits of the natural surroundings. It is immediately know from those rules to what extent the people of Perast learned to live in this kind of harmony with the existing landscape and actually put it in use for their own purposes. And consequently there is this built environment which by analyzing the line of the older street front, it can be noticed that it flows continuously along the settlement and parallel to the line of the sea coast. The buildings follow this line with their orientation, which can be considered the basic rule and the main characteristic of the position of all buildings that make up the street front. As is the case with residential buildings, church buildings are also placed perpendicularly or parallel to the street line so that their orientation ranges from the northeast-southwest St. Mark, northwest-southeast St. Nicolas, to north-south orientation St. John the Baptist (all respecting canonical rules regarding the orientation). It is only a proof of the importance and the great value those common rules played in the overall development of the city, which is more to be thankful to the judiciary system which Venetian Republic brought with itself in this region.

Although considered private as opposed to the publicly praised squares, streets, administrative, sacral and military buildings there are also family palaces as urban points around which significant everyday life evolved. However, public and private goals are realized by the common life of all the inhabitants of the city and depend from their familiarity with each other and the ways of association in public city institutions. Every citizen could achieve the conditions for him and his family's life only by respecting it determinants of public urban life, which were legally regulated by the statutory provisions. In that context, the central points, beside the churches, are also spacious palaces which generated unique seal in the urban and social development process and that are showing the best representation of the full respect for both the morphology and the common building rules of the city. And of course as inseparable part of the families is their dedication to the sacral life which was embodied through the building of the family church. However their initial role was dedicated to defend the families’ houses as a defense towers they were later converted into churches and mausoleums of the notable noble family members but nevertheless they constitute the cornerstone of each of the family complex.

4.1.2.Social characteristics

Apart from the physiognomy of the natural and artificial environment it is important to also explore the social character of those spaces which turned out to be complementary to those initial physical observation and rules mentioned earlier. And in this case, “Bove d 'oro” gives us extraordinary insights into the narrative of social life that was led in the city in different occasions.

In that context it’s impossible not to start with the common happenings which shaped and gave unique sense and meaning to the small squares created by the urban environment. In moments of relaxation, different laws govern norms of decency than those common in the public city life. Enjoyment in public and communally organized celebrations mean taking to the streets and squares. Feasts in public and open space took place mainly during celebration of church and city holidays, as well as during the carnivals among which the most significant one was certainly Giovedi Grasso, originally happening in Venice.

According to Cizila, the inner life is discovered and lived most often in places that are withdrawn from the outside public world, whether it is some corner in the city or, more often, in nature. Therefore, his words testify to the understanding of the concept private life in the 17th century. In fact when he describes this, he is making reference that this is a concept that Alberti discusses in “La Famiglia” - to keep private pleasures in villas, outside the city. According to Alberti, Florentines were happy spent holidays in hunting, horseback riding, fishing, and in the evenings playing cards, or in the entertainment provided by dancing, making music, or whatever most beloved - conversation.

Taking also into consideration important roles family’s palaces had in the process of creating the image of the city and its proper interpolation within the existing morphological background, it is also significant to mention that this particular way of building is also specially dedicated to the ceremonial descend of noble member of the family down the main starcase, to ceremonies like carnivals but also “crucifixions”, which took place across the year throughout the long period of Serenessima rule, situated on the squares beneath the main family palaces. And in this context it is of indispensable importance to state here that they created an exceptional urban scenography which crowned the connection of social and built environment and their complementarity.

And finally, the spiritual life of the people of Perast was very important as they were most of the time praying for those members of the noble families who went on long overseas journeys or battles for the Serenessima. Thus important cultural heritage was left inside the churches depicting their grief for those members that left but also served to all other people of Perast to celebrate their saints.

And in this way the picture of city life as a whole or better as images of permeation of public and private is finally constituted and characterize the most vivid both built and unbuilt heritage that is to be preserved.

4.2.Smecchia Complex

4.2.1.Architectural characteristics

In the case of Smecchia family, and all the following families, natural, built and social context stays the same. However, the family themselves responds differently to the particular location and their buildings in combination with family sacral building generate different urban spaces which are dedicated to private and public uses. In this particular case, the housing complex, apart from defining the width of the “Strada Maestra” it also contributes to the formation of the St. Marco square as the center point and generator of the social interaction within it. The St. Marco square dedicated to the common purposes of the citizens of the people of Perast after which the whole composition was, as in the case of Zmajevic family, framed with the binding element of sacral building finishing thus the authentic image of the square as another constitutive element of the whole story.

4.2.2.Social characteristics

As an effect there is created a square particularly used as a market place on Sundays, when it was necessary to procure food for the whole week, because not much selling goods come on ordinary working days in the week. The existence of various goods in the squares of Boka cities, whose population was actively involved in seafaring, can easily be assumed. Such as food, as well as textiles, construction materials, but also fine decorative items for decorating the body and the house, as evidenced by Timotej Cizila.

After having descended from their grand palaces up in the hill of St. Elijah, noble families usually passed through the back streets of the town in order to reach the front squares or “Strada Maestra” and there meet other families. However, in the meanwhile, it is important to notice here another important custom of the people of Perast who used to fill up the back streets and surrounding buildings, watching the members of the noble families as they pass by in their ceremonial outfit in a sort of urban ritual.

So yet again, we can see the complementarity between the built and social narrative created by the people of the city of Perast.

4.3. Saint Corss Fortress

4.3.1. Architectural characteristics

It was certainly natural factor that, above all others, predominantly defined now existing picturesque appearance of the city of Perast. In that context it is of indispensable importance to emphasize here the strategic character of the main St. Cross fortress which used this kind of terrain to dominate over the entrance of Kotor and Risan bay. In the case of the main city fortress it is emphasized the importance of the general orientation, which in this case is applied to the each side of the city, expect towards the St. Elijah hill, of course due to its main strategic defensive role of the city as a whole. In the bottom there is this sort of “raum-plan” of the different levels, common terraces and so on which all lead toward this main point which is fortress for all sorts of supply. Consequently, there is a strategic outlook from the fortress being the best representative of the amalgam of the city – meaning OPEN CITY – APERTO – PERAST. Although being the only main defense tower of the city, it proved to be an exceptional mean in protecting the the city in history. The inhabitants of Perast never really managed to protect the city ramparts due to the economic dificulties. Instead, they developed a defense network made up of sequential towers, within residential buildings and smaller outposts such as those later became church bell towers. It was exactly this scattered built environment that allowed the city to protect itself throughout centuries. This system was crowned at the beginning of the 17th century, with the construction of the fortress of St. Cross on the elevation which dominates the city. The modest remains of some of the elderly have been isolated walls from the period of Venetian rule.

4.3.2. Social characteristics

And again its not necessary to mention the character of the environmental surrounding which they built in accordance with in order to achieve their common need, in this case to defend the city. We can just also make evidence of a constant need for integration of the particular family or in this case common defense edifice combined with the sacral buildings which served the common goal of religious society but also the place where important decision were brought for the city itself. Other than that, fortress of St. Cross was built on the highest point of the city, a plateau at the foot of the hill of St. Elijah also called Kashun. In the same place from ancient times there was a church for which is stated in the municipal ceremony from 1743 that it is the oldest raised by the people of Perast themselves. From the square, in front of the parish church, there is still a staircase with a ramp to pull the load leading to the fortification, located on the very axis of the city. Beside the defense role, according to the ceremony, also cannon shots were fired from the castleand rifles celebrating thus major festivals among which the Exaltation of St. Cross and festivities in honor of Madona.

4.4. MAZAROVIC COMPLEX

4.4.1 Architectural characteristics

Following Coronelli’s drawing another important example of the gardens complex is certainly Mazarovic family, forming its complex through more or less similar principles of the Zmajevic family, continuing the story of the main elements of the staircases integrated within the morphology of the terrain but also it is very interesting to notice the same orientation the garden

takes as in the case of Zmajevic family dedicating of course its main part to the south-east side obtaining much of the sunlight possible considering that this whole place is placed in Boka Bay which is in essence a canyon and not having so much daylight in some of its places. The main character of the place stays the same, as the church is framing the complex including family house, gardens, supplementary houses as well as the main staircases which lead from the house to the “Strada Maestra”.As mentioned earlier in Zmajevic complex example, the house lots within the land of St. Elijah, proved to be exceptional examples of the integration of natural surrounding and the utmost respect shown through the new buildings of the family complexes at those places.

4.4.2. Social characteristics

In addition to the vast land ownership of Mazarovic family which spreads from the sea shore to the inner land, including well known Mazarovic gardens which served for the purposes described already in Alberti’s “La Famiglia”, it is of major significance to mention that Mazarovic family complex also had a vast land above the nearby family’s gardens, where they planted various herbs and food that was later sold at the market squares throughout the town but also exported with ships within Boka Bay and elsewhere. The agricultural land lasted until the modern period, when in the XX c. modern road was built to connect the city of Kotor and Risan, cutting thus the family compound from this land. In this occasion the abovementioned connection was forever broken.

4.5. Bronza Complex

4.5.1. Architectural characteristics

And finally, the city port wisely situated in this kind of a bay within the bay of Boka, as a relatively safer in both strategic purposes – from those boats that were entering the bay from Verige strait, and natural way for the ships which dock there in a commonly peaceful part of the sea currents. The Bronza palace is thus following the rule of “Strada Maestra” with then built church of St. Otkupitelja. With the construction of today's first row of houses by the sea, the “Strada Maestra” was created, formed between the original street front and the new buildings erected (Bronza Palace) which can be seen from Coronelli's drawing. The width of the Strada Maestra was determined by the distance between the older defensive towers with auxiliary buildings that consisted of individual defensive points in the coastal zone of Perast and the facades along the older street front. Based on old preserved examples such as the Viskovic Tower (1500) and the well-known position of the Markovic-Martinovic Tower (perceptible in the large scale representation boards in this thesis), which existed until the 19th century, it can be concluded that the width of today's Strada Maestra was determined in relation to them. The palaces of Vukasovic, Bronza, Bujovic, Smecchia, Viskovic and others were built in Perast in prominent positions of the city by the sea, in accordance with Baroque understandings and thanks to the economic prosperity that occurred after 1687, which gradually filled the space of the former “Strada Maestra”. At the end of the 17th century, due to the construction of baroque palaces, older auxiliary buildings, warehouses and warehouses that stood on the shore in front of the representative residential buildings that made up the older street front of the city facing the sea were removed. The coastal belt in front of the buildings was used until the second half of the 17th century as the main road and port, manipulative space for storage and transshipment of cargo, repair and construction of ships.